Benjamin R. Barber (born August 2, 1939) is a political scientist and professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, perhaps best known popularly for his 1996 bestseller, Jihad Vs. McWorld . As a political theorist, Barber argues for a renewed focus on civil society and involved citizenship as tools for building effective democracy, particularly in the post-Cold War world.
Barber was educated at Grinnell College (B.A., 1960) and Harvard University (M.A., 1963; Ph.D., 1966), after earning certificates at Albert Schweitzer College (1959) and the London School of Economics (1957). He has served as an advisor to various politicians in the United States and around the world, including Bill Clinton and Howard Dean.
He has also moonlighted as a playwright, novelist, and songwriter, with modest success.
Books
- Superman and Common Men: Freedom, Anarchy and the Revolution (1971)
- The Death of Communal Liberty: A History of Freedom in a Swiss Mountain Canton (1974)
- Liberating Feminism (1976)
- Marriage Voices (novel, 1981)
- Strong Democracy : Participatory Politics for a New Age (1984)
- The Conquest of Politics: Liberal Philosophy in Democratic Times (1988)
- An Aristocracy of Everyone: The Politics Of Education and the Future of America (1992)
- Jihad Vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World (1996)
- A Place for Us: How to Make Society Civil and Democracy Strong (1998)
- A Passion for Democracy: American Essays (2000)
- The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House (2001)
- Fear's Empire: War, Terrorism, and Democracy in an Age of Interdependence (2003)
External links